RECENTLY, THE CASE OF LYLE AND ERIK MENENDEZ – TWO BEVERLY HILLS BROTHERS SENTENCED TO LIFE FOR MURDERING THEIR PARENTS BACK IN 1989 – HAS BEEN RESURFACING IN THE MEDIA. THIRTY-FIVE YEARS AFTER THE VIOLENT CRIME, PUBLIC OPINION HAS BEEN GRADUALLY SHIFTING DUE TO A RISE IN SENTIMENT CONSIDERING THE IMPACT THAT GROWING UP WITH AN ABUSIVE FATHER HAD ON THEIR DECISION. NOW, THEIR STORY IS TOLD IN MONSTERS: THE LYLE AND ERIK MENENDEZ STORY – THE SECOND SEASON OF RYAN MURPHY’S HIT NETFLIX SERIES. FOR COOPER KOCH, WHO PLAYS ERIK, THE SHOW FOCUSES ON EXPLORING IN DETAIL THE ROLE THAT THEIR EXPERIENCE OF FACING CONTINUED ASSAULT HAD ON THE FAMILY DYNAMIC, AND THE HEREDITARY NATURE OF TRAUMA. WHAT STANCE DOES THE SERIES TAKE? “YOU SEE ALL ANGLES AND EVERYONE’S POINT OF VIEW – THE BROTHERS, THE PARENTS, THE LAWYERS,” SAYS THE LOS ANGELES-BORN ACTOR. “IT COLLECTS THESE PERSPECTIVES AND LETS THE AUDIENCE DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES WHAT THEY BELIEVE.”

Hi Cooper! Your portrayal of Erik Menendez in Monsters is incredible, it feels so nuanced and compassionate to what he’s been through in his life. How did you prepare to play a part with such a painful arc?

My main thing was watching the testimony. The whole trial is on YouTube so I would constantly watch or listen to it – it was playing when I was driving or I would put it on next to my bed and fall asleep to it. I would watch it over and over again, not only to pick up his mannerisms, the cadence of his voice and how he carries himself, but also to deepen my empathy for him and Lyle, and for their story. The more I watched it, the more I cared about him and Lyle.

What was the priority for you while showcasing Erik’s story?

I think that Erik’s journey is one of self-discovery. He doesn’t know who he is because of what’s been happening to him his whole life. When you go through that kind of trauma and you’re part of a family with these dynamics, it’s hard for you to form a sense of identity when you’re being told what to do and who you are or who you’re supposed to be. And so I really wanted to, especially in the first half of the show, I wanted him to be mouldable – he doesn’t know who he is or what to do. Then, once he starts being more honest and real, that evokes his true sense of self.

We get to speak in the week following the show’s release – what has that hectic time been like for you? Has it been overwhelming?

I got to watch the show with my family and friends. We rented an AMC theatre and we binged the entire series. That was an amazing experience! But then I was also definitely nervous before all the press stuff started happening because it has been so controversial and people have a lot of opinions about it. But now I actually feel great and super calm. I’m glad I was able to speak my mind and share my truth, and talk about how I feel about the brothers and the whole situation.

I saw one of the interviews that you did in the past week and I really liked your reaction to Erik’s statement on the show and what he deems as a harmful portrayal of Lyle. Obviously, he’s unable to watch the series, so his opinions are purely based on what’s been relayed to him. But you said that you understand where he’s coming from, which I think is the best thing you can really say because it is his life [that’s shown on screen]…

Yeah, it’s the only thing you can say. It’s his life and it’s his story, and so of course it’s going to evoke difficult feelings for him. Generally speaking, there has been a bit of confusion about the show. It’s constructed in a way where there are different perspectives on the matter and some of them are obviously outrageous, but I think people took them literally.

In the past week, you also got to meet Erik and Lyle in person! I read that it happened quite spontaneously, with Kim Kardashian reaching out to you after she watched the series. What were you feeling? Were you anxious before meeting them?

I had spoken with both of them before the show came out, which I’m so glad that I was able to do because I just wanted them to know before they saw anything that I support them, I care for them and I believe them. And so that was great. But yeah, Kim Kardashian and Scott Budnick do a lot of prison reform work, and they had a trip planned to go down to the prison where the brothers are. Kim saw the show and she reached out to me through my stylist. And then we got on the phone and she started asking me all these questions about Erik and what my thoughts were, and she asked me if I wanted to go to visit them. And obviously, I said yes. I was super nervous to go in but the first person I saw was Erik. We embraced and we had an amazing conversation. We also sat around in a circle with other inmates who shared their stories and what they’ve done. And something really interesting was that they all came from dysfunctional families…

Jacket & pants **Emporio Armani**, sunglasses **Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello**

Meeting Erik and Lyle, what in your view is the state of mind that they’re in today?

They seemed super light. They were cracking jokes, they were very charming, very kind, and very sweet. I remember Erik looking at Kris Jenner and being like, “You just don’t age, do you? You’re so beautiful.”

They’ve done so much work in prison reform. Erik teaches meditation classes, they both got a college education in prison, and they are working on this Greenspace project. They painted a mural around the prison yard so that the surroundings are not all just gray – there’s light and colour and life. And I think they have that within them too. They’re filled with light and they’re truly upstanding individuals.

Let’s talk about The Hurt Man, the fifth episode of the series which is a 33-minute long single take of Erik giving an account to his lawyer of the abuse he faced throughout his life. How did you prepare for this episode?

Well, I grew up doing theatre so I knew that it was gonna be something that I could wrap my head around. I read the script over and over and over again, and I took all those stories and memories that he shares, and I just really tried to get super specific with what they all looked like – what the room looked like, what was the weather that day, what day was it… That way, when it came down to shooting, it would all just be real for me when I started talking about it. This also in a way became my entire prep for the character because that’s basically his whole life story, that episode is the entire history of his life [at that moment]. So in building that and constantly working on it, I was creating research that would ultimately be the foundation for my character.

How many takes did you do?

We did eight takes and shot it over two days. And they chose the very last take.

Well, it was all worth it then. [Laughs] Something that we have to discuss is your friendship with Chloë Sevigny, who plays Erik and Lyle’s mother on the show. I saw that you went to the Sweat Tour together.

Chloë is so wonderful. She came in and had a really clear idea of how she wanted to approach her character. You know, she showed up in every scene with some nuances, she wasn’t trying to do anything crazy. She trusts herself. She’s also very kind and she took care of me. She would check in with me and make sure I was doing okay throughout the shoot. We had a good little buddy system on set and we definitely became friends. One day, she came to me and said, “They asked me to do this Charli XCX video, do you know her?” And I was like, “Yes, you have to do that!” And she did. Then, when I saw that the Sweat Tour was happening at the same time as we were in New York for press, I was like, “Hello, I think we should go.” [Laughs]

Lastly, what are you looking forward to once this busy time of press for the show comes to an end?

I want to find my next thing to do. I want to find another project that I will feel a similar type of passion towards, a story that I feel that I have to tell. I’m excited to work again.